Shloka 13
आदित्यकर्म, त्रयीमयी वैष्णवी शक्तिः, सवितुरन्तर्यामी
The Sun’s Function and Vishnu’s Vedic Śakti within Savitṛ
सर्गादौ ऋङ्मयो ब्रह्मा स्थितौ विष्णुर् यजुर्मयः रुद्रः साममयो ऽन्ताय तस्मात् तस्याशुचिर् ध्वनिः
sargādau ṛṅmayo brahmā sthitau viṣṇur yajurmayaḥ rudraḥ sāmamayo 'ntāya tasmāt tasyāśucir dhvaniḥ
At creation’s dawn, Brahmā is of the nature of the Ṛg, the primal hymn; in the state of preservation, Viṣṇu is of the nature of the Yajus, the law of sacrifice and sovereign guardianship. For dissolution, Rudra is of the nature of the Sāman, the chant that draws all to their end; therefore from that final phase arises an impure, inauspicious reverberation.
Sage Parāśara (teaching Maitreya)
Creation Stage: Kalpa
Concept: The three cosmic functions—creation, preservation, and dissolution—are expressed through Brahmā, Viṣṇu, and Rudra, each correlated with a Vedic mode (Ṛg, Yajus, Sāman).
Vedantic Theme: Dharma
Application: Contemplate how ritual (yajus) and praise (ṛk/sāman) align one’s life with sustaining order rather than disorder.
Vishishtadvaita: Viṣṇu’s sustaining function is presented as sovereign and Veda-grounded, implying governance of the cosmos as the inner ruler of ordered existence.
Vishnu Form: Narayana (cosmic)
Jagat Karana: Yes
FAQs
This verse presents the Vedas as cosmic principles: Ṛg as the creative hymn (Brahmā), Yajus as the law of sacrifice and order that sustains the world (Viṣṇu), and Sāman as the chant associated with dissolution (Rudra). It frames universal functions as expressions of sacred sound.
Parāśara places Viṣṇu specifically in “sthiti” (preservation), describing him as “yajurmayaḥ”—the embodiment of Yajurvedic order, ritual law, and governance of continuity, emphasizing Viṣṇu’s sovereignty over the maintained cosmos.
Viṣṇu is portrayed as the stabilizing Supreme Reality whose sustaining power is identical with Vedic dharma (Yajus). The verse supports a Vaiṣṇava reading where preservation is not secondary, but the central, law-bearing mode of the Divine in the world.